Top 5 Cabin Camping near Rush Valley, UT

Really nice RV resort near Interstate. Pull throughs or back in on paved level sites. Picnic table. FHU. Sites typically close with grass area seperating. No shade or privacy. Narrow interior roads. Nice bathhouses with private shower/toilets. Wifi and cable. Great play area. Bikes available including kid sized. Paved 80 mile bike trail along Jordan River. Giant chessboard. Nice pool area. Amazing clubhouse with pool table, foosball, large TV, comfy chairs, guest kitchen area. Complimentary coffee, tea and fresh made cookies. Friendly, helpful employees!

You really need to know this: No dogs are allowed because this campground is in the Salt Lake City watershed.

And this: As inviting as the water running through the campground may look, you are not allowed to swim, wade or wash in it.

One more thing: Gate closes at 10 pm although that didn't stop some partiers at the next site in from us. They partied and left around 11 or so. There was no payment tag on the post. The exit is open but has tire shredders if you enter over them.

A pleasant surprise at a Forest Service campground: 10 lbs of ice for $2! (There was also the usual bundle of firewood for $6.)

An unpleasant surprise: Old, dirty bathrooms. I've seen cleaner vault toilets elsewhere than these flush toilets.

There is no water for now (July 2018) in bathroom sinks or at spigots. The host said something about a pipe issue and water needing to be tested. That covers the amenities other than dumpsters.

What about the sites? We arrived on a Sunday morning when the host was putting up signs indictating which sites were reserved. We had 3 possible sites among 1 through 19 and grabbed #9, a pull through site with a buffer between the road in the parking/small RV area.

Sites in the other area (higher numbers) were becoming available, but that area's host said many of the sites were only appropriate for tents.

Our site #9: There are a few steps down to the picnic table, fire ring and grill plus a separate area to the left for a tent. See photos.

General site info:

• Some sites have a concrete pad for the picnic table, etc.

• Many sites have an area for the tent that is away from the picnic table and concealed from the road.

There’s 2 or 3 loops in the state park, we got one of the walk up sites on a Friday night. $20 and includes entrance fee, you check in at the guard station at the entrance and they said park gates close at 10pm.

Had a great view and were able to walk to trail heads. Our section had vault toilets for each group of campsites, huge fire pits and two picnic tables at each site. Only con is that the brine flies were outrageous!! I know outside comes with bugs, but this was like a different level! They actually chilled out once the sun went down but during the day constantly landing all over us. So just be mentally prepared.

We loved antelope island. With one more day we could have accomplished our whole geocaching adventure.

Our start was a little rough, we were using a new tent, a very large 10 man tent to help accommodate our dogs and kids but it rained the first day with crazy winds and while we were in town shopping (it was raining after all) our fly lines pulled out and the tent partially collapsed, getting everything very wet inside. Thankfully, there was a laundromat not far away and we were able to dry everything.

We booked 3 nights at the park. The drive in is long and the bugs were really bad on the drive in but once we got past the marina, the bugs were gone. We didn't notice much for bugs the rest of the time we were there. There was a slew of other wildlife there. We saw bison regularly, we heard and saw coyotes a couple nights. We saw plenty of antelope. Our campsite was pretty good. We saw mountains in almost every direction. We had a couple spots where it was more hills then anything but beyond those were mountains. It was hazy for a lot of the time, with all the rain on the first day and cloudy for a lot of the rest of it but it did warm up a bit and hiking was comfortable. The island is covered in geocaches so we enjoyed that part of the stay for sure. Sight seeing was great too.

We were in camp site 18 in Bridger Bay. The site wasn't overly spacious. It was also very rocky. You could either get your tent stakes in to a very soft spot or you couldn't get them in at all. The restroom was a vault but it lacked a smell, was clean and well stocked. It did flood some when the heavy rains came. We were able to walk to many spots on the island. We took a trail that would have gone to the other side but we only went halfway. We didn't notice much of a smell from the water, just sort of smelled like the ocean. By the marina and the drive in it did smell though. Just not in our camp area or where we were hiking. Bison frequented the area, even came right through camp. All the picnic spots in the sites were concrete slabs. The fire ring was buried in the concrete. That was ok, the provided fire grate was hard to work and our tripod isn't designed for rings under the ground so that was a challenge too. There isn't any shade except the shade shelter. It was far away from the fire ring so make sure you bring chairs to sit around the fire.

There are pay showers available and flush toilets over at ladyfinger, where the beach is, as well as a little restaurant. Those bathrooms were heated and had running water.

Overall, I look forward to returning. Maybe when it's a tad warmer. The nights were super cold.